Commentary on the economic , geopolitical and simply fascinating things going on. Served occasionally with a side of snark.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Fukushima updates December 17 - 19 , 2013 - contamination from radioactive materials continues ( in fact the water contamination problems really picking up ) as Japan is slowly turning into a wasteland..... no wonder the secrecy law was passed posthaste , no wonder the change the subject antics with China and military bravado chest thumping !

Ex SKF.....

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013

While I'm at it, I might as well show the most recent photos that TEPCO released which, I think, show what lack of money and planning (and lack of decision-making itself) has done (or hasn't done, in this case) at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in the past two years and nine months.

Some areas inside the plant compound today look exactly the same as in March 2011.

I still vividly remember Mr. Michio Ishikawa of Japan Nuclear Technology Institute on April 29, 2011 on an all-night TV program. To the astonished fellow guests (or guests who were feigning astonishment), Mr. Ishikawa, a strong proponent of nuclear energy, said as a matter of fact that all nuclear fuel inside the reactors had been melted down, the government was lying about it, and some of it would be already outside the Pressure Vessels.

He also said, "This is a war."

"Take the debris clean-up job for example. They are picking up the debris and putting them in containers, as if this is the peacetime normal operation. This is a war. They should dig a hole somewhere and bury the radioactive debris and clean up later. What's important is to clear the site, using the emergency measures. Build a bridgehead to the reactor."The line of command is not clear, whether it is the government, TEPCO, or Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

"Look squarely at the reactors and find out the true situation. [Trying to do something with] the turbine buildings is nothing but a caricature [a joke, a manga, a diversion]."

No one took his word seriously, and we are where we are today as the result. Mr. Ishikawa's remark on core melt was not even in the news the next day. Hardly anyone talked about it even on Twitter. "Why should we listen to a pro-nuke shill?" was part of the attitude of net citizens in Japan who turned against nuclear energy after the Fukushima accident.

So today, radioactive debris continues to litter the site, hindering workers' efforts. We have been doing something with the turbine buildings (all the contaminated water from the reactor buildings goes to the turbine building basements, from which the water goes either to another building for storage or to the cesium absorption system (SARRY, or on rare occasions, Kurion).

Fukushima Diary.......

[Column] Tepco’s new cover-up – Possibility of groundwater rising in various places of Fukushima plant

Note : If you are from the international mass media, Don’t read this site before taking a contact with me.

↑ The land subsidence in Fukushima plant area in October. It was due to a typhoon supposedly but it can’t be that fragile in a “nuclear power plant”.

Tepco’s recent most-used word is “we won’t investigate it anymore”. Even if the press ask why, they only answer “Because we decided so”.

Nuclear must be safe, so they must hide everything that matters.

Every time they say “we won’t ..”, it’s about groundwater. Specifically speaking, the rising groundwater.

Several facts show the groundwater level is rising in various area of Fukushima plant. However, for some reason, none of the press, media, experts have pointed it out or connected all the dots to a line.

It started when they built the underground wall on the coastal line. It was to stop the groundwater flowing to the sea, but it caused groundwater to rise in the seaside of the plant area.

They installed the pumps to send the rising groundwater back to the plant buildings, but it wasn’t the end.

A few months later, underground tanks were observed “floating”. Those tanks are approx. 800m from the sea. However, the reason of their “floating” was because the groundwater was rising.

Tepco explained it was due to the rainfall. However the groundwater is still rising even after the rain season’s over. The cause of rising groundwater or how much it is rising are never announced.

This is not all.

In October, the slope beside the main street of the plant had a major land subsidence. It was due to a typhoon supposedly. However, a nuclear plant cannot have such a land subsidence only because of a typhoon, which comes to Japan more than every year.

It suggests the rising groundwater, but Tepco did not mention the cause at all.

Also, Tepco found the groundwater was already coming up only 40cm to the surface of a contaminated water tank area. This is where experienced the 300m3 leakage.

In this area, the soil stabilization is already sunk under the groundwater. However again, Tepco announced they won’t investigate it anymore. None of the press inquired anymore either.

Back to the seaside, because of the rising groundwater, the radiation level is also rising. The groundwater is highly contaminated there.

The workers therefore work on the stand and lead plate to protect themselves from the radiation of the ground.

In this seaside area, where is on the east of reactor2, the groundwater level has been in sync with ebb and flow of the sea. It was observed in one of the boring points. The groundwater must have been separated from the sea because of the underground wall.

However scientifically enough, Tepco decided to abandon this boring hole and not to investigate it anymore. The reason of not investigating wasn’t announced either.

Simply thinking, it may be because the increased groundwater pressure made a new route to the sea by breaking the underground wall.

What Tepco is trying to hide ? NRA (Nuclear Regulation Authority)’s working group for contaminated water issue has been suspended over a month too.

We might see the next disaster “water meltdown” without being warned again.

Note : If you are from the international mass media, Don’t read this site before taking a contact with me.

Unverified water was found retained on the first floor of reactor2 turbine building, according to Tepco. It was on 12/18/2013. The water spread 4m × 1.5m × 1mm.

After the investigation, Tepco announced the composition ratio of nuclide and radiation level are the same as the “floor”, and also they found rainfall leaking from the roof of the building. They concluded it was rainfall.

3 years is going to pass soon, however it is still not known if reactor2 had an explosion, what kind of state the vessel is in. If it was the rainfall as Tepco stated, the reactor2 building is already starting to be deteriorated.

Tepco didn’t explain the cause of the rain leaking in the nuclear plant building.

Groundwater level found sync with ebb and flow of the sea → Tepco to abandon the measuring point, “Not credible data”

Note : If you are from the international mass media, Don’t read this site before taking a contact with me.

Following up this article.. [Impervious wall broken ?] Groundwater level near the plant building in sync with ebb and flow of the sea [URL]

The boring point to measure the groundwater level in sync with ebb and flow of the sea will be abandoned, according to Tepco.

In the press conference of 12/13/2013, Tepco’s spokesman stated they won’t investigate the cause anymore. The reason wasn’t shown.

There are 8 borings in this seaside area of reactor2. The issued boring point is one of the oldest ones since this Summer.

However, Tepco concluded the data from the boring doesn’t have enough credibility, they are going to abandon the boring point.

The reason why they judged so wasn’t announced either.

In these 2.5 years since 311, every time a measuring point shows abnormality such as a thermometer of a reactor shows the rapid increase of temperature, or a groundwater level gauge shows the rapid increase of groundwater, they have been abandoning the points.

Tepco didn’t mention the connection of their abandoning this measuring point and the historical behavior of theirs.

'Pacifist' Japan Launches "No Guts But All The War Spending Glory" Military Plan

We warned last week of the rising nationalism and concerns about Abe's intentions and this evening the escalating tensions in the East China Sea are clear once again. In an effort to "normalize" an officially 'pacifist' policy, a hawkish Abe announced that Japan has tonight increased its military budget notably to buy drones, amphibious vehicles, submarines, and vertical take-off aircraft to boost defenses around the remote Senkaku islands. It seems the farce is getting more surreal as Japan also considers obtaining the means to counter ballistic missiles the point of launch. Why go to war and risk it all by printing and deficit spending your country into oblivion for a 'purpose' when you can do it without spilling a drop of blood?

Via AFP,

Japan said Tuesday it intends toboost military spending by five percent over the next five years, with a hardware splurge intended to beef up defence of far-flung territories amid a corrosive row with China.

The cabinet of hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed 24.7 trillion yen ($240 billion) would be spent between 2014 and 2019, including on drones, submarines, fighter jets and amphibious vehicles, in a strategic shift towards the south and west.

The shopping list is part of efforts by Abe to normalise the military in Japan, which has been officially pacifist since defeat in World War II. Its well-equipped and highly professional services are limited to a narrowly defined self-defensive role.

...

New defence guidelines approved by the cabinet on Tuesday said Tokyo will introduce a "dynamic joint defence force," intended to help air, land and sea forces work together more effectively in the face of danger.

"China ... is taking dangerous action that can draw unexpected contingencies," said the guidelines.

Via Bloomberg,

...

The government will also considerobtaining the means to counter ballistic missiles at the point of launch, according to new security plans which set a total five-year budget of 24.67 trillion yen ($239 billion), up about 1 trillion yen on the previous five-year plan.

Japan will set up a marines-style force to deal with any island incursions, equipping it with 17 tiltrotor aircraft and 52 amphibious vehicles, as well as three surveillance drones, according to documents given to reporters in advance.

The right to know has now been officially superseded by the right of the government to make sure you don’t know what they don’t want you to know. It might all seems like a bad joke, except for the Orwellian nature of the bill and a key Cabinet member expressing his admiration for the Nazis, "just as Germany needed a strong man like Hitler to revive defeated Germany, Japan needs people like Abe to dynamically induce change."

We are sure the world (and the BoJ) will be more than happy to fund this latest Keynesian black hole.